By Her Side
by Typo Goblin
Summary: This story completes the assassin story line that began with "It'll Never Work". This story features the couple that is most near and dear to my heart so please review! . *Tite Kubo owns all Bleach characters and concepts*


The musty smell of the old books had always made Nanao's nose tickle. She'd learned to live with the sneezing and the dryness, simply because this was her favorite place to be. These books gave her more comfort and company than any person ever had. She plucked a book from the shelf and added it to the considerable stack in her arms. Her Taichou had sent her down here to do some research on the latest threat to Soul Society. It was always something. There was never a dull moment in Seireitei.

Their contacts in the living world had warned them that an assassin, able to take the form of anyone they came in contact with could be coming after them next. They didn't know if he was working for Aizen or someone with a grudge. All they knew was that this assassin had almost killed two of the most capable warriors to ever come out of Soul Society.

Nanao's job had been to look into the assassin's mimicking ability. To see if there had ever been a Shinigami with such an ability who might have gone rouge on them. Usually she would be working with the Taichou of the thirteenth squad. She very much enjoyed the ailing man's company, it was a rather nice change to her own Taichou. The boorish womanizer that he was. She would never understand how those two had become such close friends.

Sadly, her study buddy was sick today. Under the capable care of Unohana, she hoped he would be fit for duty sometime soon. She was sure that she would have a lot of research ahead of her. Satisfied with the stack of books she'd collected, she headed to one of the tables. The lower levels of this particular branch of the library was built in a wide circle, with shelves coming in like petals of a flower. The center had several small round tables. Many of them were dusty with disuse, but the northern most table was well cared for. Dusted and polished, this was where she spent much of her time.

She had just started reading the first book on her pile when she heard a shuffle behind her. She looked over her shoulder from over her glasses and caught a glimpse of pink flutter behind the far end of a shelf. Rolling her eyes, she snapped the book shut with a loud clap. Pushing out her chair, she headed down the nearest row and peeked around the corner.

Nothing.

"Taichou!" She called out with no small amount of frustration in her voice. "I don't have time for this!" She growled and cursed under her breath, walking briskly around the outside of the rows of book shelves, trying to catch another glimpse of him. "I'm trying to follow your orders, sir. I don't have time for your childish displays!"

She turned around with another growl of frustration to head back to the table and found him standing directly in front of her quite suddenly. She gave a small squeak of surprise, the surprised inhale of breath making the odd noise in her dry throat. She put a hand to her throat and took a few deep breaths before punching him in the chest.

Briskly brushing past him, she headed back to her table without saying anything to him.

"Ise." Came the low voice of her Taichou. "It is disrespectful to strike your superior." To his credit, he managed to sound serious, as if he was really reprimanding her.

"Please, sir, forgive me." She rolled her eyes and sat down again, pulling the book pointedly open. She was hoping he would take the hint and just leave. Instead, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She let out an exaggerated sigh and opened her mouth to say something. The only thing that came out, however, was a cry of pain as his hand tightened on her shoulder to the point that she thought for sure her bones would snap. Before she knew it, she was being thrown in the air, skidding painfully across the hard floor as she passed between two shelves. Getting up quickly, she rubbed her shoulder, pain shooting through her body.

"Taichou!" She gasped in pain as he strode toward her, his dark eyes clearly showing his intent. "What's come over you?!" She cried, scrambling back and reaching into her sleeve. Before she could remove her Zanpakuto, he swept a hand against her chest and threw her into the shelves to her left. She could feel the separate shelves breaking against her back, the spines of the books biting into her skin as the entire structure shook with the force of it, threatening to tip over.

Falling into a heap on the floor, she gasped for breath. Her entire body felt as if it might shatter at any moment. She looked up at him through her hair, now fallen out of the usually pristine do-up. She could taste the metallic of blood against her tongue and new instinctively that it wasn't from a tear in her lip or a bitten tongue.

Kyoraku began to walk away, the long, pink haori fluttering softly behind him. The flowers in his hair bobbed, just as they always had. Still, there was no way this man was her Taichou. She'd just met the assassin, and in the most unlikely of places. She struggled to stand and found that it was harder than she'd imagined. Even the small effort of breathing took all of her will power and strength.

Using the still in tact shelving unit to pull herself up, she started after him. She saw through her blurred vision that he looked back over his shoulder at her with a wicked grin and waved. "Good-bye Nanao-chan!" He trilled happily.

The ground began to shake, slowly at first, just a light vibration under her feet. It began to grow, starting to shake books off of shelves. A few hit her, making her stagger back to her knees. She could barely raise her arms to defend herself when the entire library came crashing down over her, leaving her in painful darkness.

Kyoraku Shunsui was a very predictable man. He slept a full ten hours at night and woke nice and refreshed in the morning. His lovely Nanao-chan, well into his paper work already would bring him a cup of hot herbal tea and piece of buttered toast. Then, he would relocate to the roof of his office, if the weather was favorable, and take a good two hour nap.

That would be about when Nanao-chan would grow frusterated enough with his laziness to throw something at him from the balcony outside his office. To placate his beautiful vice, he would go into the office and sit at his desk to sleep there. Then, when she would complain that she'd hadn't called him in here so that he would be more comfortable when he slept and that there was work to do.

He would convince her that she was more then capable of doing the little work that was left and that he had an important date with one of the other captains to discuss something or other. He would flit out before she could yell at him and spend his afternoon drinking and watching the lovely women walk by.

Eventually he would begin to feel bad and return to the office to help with the work. His lovely Nanao-chan wasn't one to be underestimated however. It was very rare that she was still in the office after dark. He would wonder if he should stop by her home and thank her, but would always decide against it. She was so grouchy. She would be so much lovelier if her disposition wasn't so sour. No one else seemed to notice but him, something he found odd.

Thinking about his Nanao-chan he would head home and to bed.

Naturally, when her schedule changed, his day was completely thrown off. After three days of having to find his own food and do his own paper work, he had a much healthier understanding of his vice's day. He was a pain in the ass.

He began to look forward to the sunsets. It would mean that Nanao-chan would be climbing out of the dark, dusty library to check on him. Since she didn't have to deal with him all day, she was actually happy to see him. Usually.

Nanao-chan was very late however. It had been dark for quite a while and she still wasn't back. Shunsui was getting impatient, but not enough to get out of his comfortable chair. She would have a very good reason for being late, he knew. She never, ever dawdled. Drifting off to sleep, he trusted that she would wake him with her return. He trusted his Nanao-chan explicitly.

He didn't get worried until he woke and there was still no sign that she'd returned. He pushed up from his chair and headed out of the office. He was on a mission now. He had to save Nanao-chan from one of two things. She'd either fallen asleep and it would be up to him to romantically bring her back to her own bed, or she was spending far too much time straining her beautiful eyes reading and he would have to persuade her to let him give her a back rub before he would let her continue. As her captain, it was his job to see to her well being.

The library entrance to the wing where she was researching was conveniently close to the eighth squad headquarters. Heading in, he went down a small flight of stairs to the balcony that overlooked all of the levels. She would be on the lower one where he could easily talk to her without having to go all the way down.

Leaning over the railing he opened his mouth wide to yell down, but stopped. It was completely dark down there. Was she using a personal light when she could have the whole floor lit up like Christmas?

"NANAO-CHAN!! Lovely, LOVELY Nanao-CHAAAAAAN!" He yelled down, cupping his hands around his mouth.

No answer.

"Woman of my dreams! Lovely goddess of the library!" He called again then slumped. She must be asleep. He started the long journey down the stairs but the further he got, the more he worried. It looked as if there was a faint glow coming from that floor, but something was blocking it. By the time he'd made it half way down, a chill had settled in his bones. The place was in ruin!

No sign of the lazy, drunken Taichou could be found now as his shunpo carried him back up the stairs and to his headquarters. The barracks were still alive which meant that the work detail could be gathered that much faster. When he came bursting into the large room, all of his squad members immediately stood at attention.

"There has been a cave in at the South branch of the library." He stated briskly. "I require all available squad members to begin a rescue effort. I believe Vice Ise may be trapped inside."

"Yes sir!" They all barked out at once. Turning he was immediately inside the library again followed by many of his squad members. Some, he was sure, would be heading to the other squads and informing them of the incident, requesting help.

He could hear the quiet comments as they began to work at uncovering their lost leader. Many of the whispered words were directed at Shunsui's drastic change of character. He was quiet and withdrawn, moving more than any of them in one take.

Unohana arrived at the scene shortly after. Her squad quickly joined the effort as well. An assembly line was formed to make the operation go faster. It would be much easier to find the missing Nanao if they weren't just shifting rubble around. The demure captain of the fourth squad quickly took control, seeing that no instruction had been giving from Kyoraku. He was a man on fire with only one thing on his mind.

Walking up to him, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't even give pause, ignoring the contact completely.

"Shunsui, perhaps you should take a step back and look at the situation and the best way to go about resolving it. Staying in this corner by yourself, shuffling books around will not help Miss Ise in the slightest." She pointed out gently, her voice meant to sooth.

"The longer I sit back and just give orders, the longer Nanao-chan has to stay buried...wherever she is." He pointed out. He wasn't himself at all. His deep voice was unusually low and quiet. As if he might break out into tears at any moment.

"Please, allow my squad and the others to help you. We will find her and you'll be back to annoying her in no time." She promised.

"And if we don't find her in time...or at all?" He asked, arms full of books and shattered pieces of wood. He turned to face her and threw them to the side. "What if she's dead?"

Unohana looked up at him with her calm eyes. "Do you think that she is?"

"No." He said immediately, glancing behind him. "She's here, breathing and alive. She has to be." He said it more to himself than Unohana.

"Then she is." She promised him. "I'll take care of the coordination. You just yell if you find her." She instructed him, heading back up to the entrance of the library. Food and water would need to be brought and shifts coordinated to make sure no one exhausted themselves. Books would need to be moved elsewhere, ruined ones sent away for repair or disposal. Unohana, the calm voice of reason in any situation would make sure it was all done properly and efficiently.

Nanao woke to searing pain. She couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. Everything was throbbing. She could still taste blood in her mouth. Her left arm was broken for sure and she couldn't feel one of her legs at all anymore. She couldn't even more her head, the heavy weight of books and wood making it impossible. Her glasses were gone but it didn't particularly matter. It was pitch dark.

She could hear faint noises but wasn't sure if they were real or not. Her head felt like it was going to collapse in on itself. Tentatively, she tried to move the limbs and extremities that didn't feel overly damaged. Only a small wiggle of her fingers on her right hand. Everything else was too painful or pinned down to tightly.

A hard thud above her brought her back from the brink of blackness as her mind threatened to go blank again. She snapped away only to feel the realization of pain come rushing back as well.

"Help..." She gasped, her voice sounding weak and low, even to her in the still darkness. "Please...someone." She whimpered, feeling the wet stain of tears on her cheeks.

A sudden shot of light fell into her eyes, making her close them quickly in pain. A blurry face appeared soon after a large, dark object was removed.

"Fukutaichou!" Someone gasped happily. It was a voice she didn't recognize, but her mind wasn't fully working either. The face disappeared, making her heart sink. "TAICHOU!" The same voice yelled, making her ears ring.

Before the man had even finished speaking, a more familiar face appeared at the hole. Her Taichou.

Closing her eyes, she let her tears fall. She could see in his eyes, even with her vision blurred, that he was relieved to see her. This was the real Shunsui. The weight on her body, crushing and painful, began to lessen very quickly. As the books and debris were cleared, she could see many different faces, a few she recognized, many she didn't. Quite a few of her fellow vice captains were there. Unohana's calm face could be seen over her Taichou's shoulder as he ever so carefully picked her up. Pain shot up her arm, but she let it go. She was so happy to see the light of day.

She caught the feral look in her Taichou's eyes when Unohana suggested she be put on a stretcher. She wasn't much for the idea either. Closing her eyes, she let the feeling of relief sooth her, along with the feeling of protection her Taichou's arms brought. There had only been one other time he'd been so protective, when he'd brought her far from the wrath of Yamamoto. This time seemed more intense though. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest as she laid her head down. She wanted to revel in the feel of him against her, holding her tight, but once again, the blackness claimed her.

Unohana gently stood up from the bedside and turned to the worried man who was pacing the room. "She's going to be fine." She said softly, her voice reassuring. "There was some serious internal damage, but we got to her in time." She continued. "The bones in her left leg are pretty well shattered. I won't be able to heal them in one session. She's going to need to be looked after, to make sure she'll heal psycologically as well." She informed him matter-of-factly.

She began going through the list of duties he would have to do to ensure her proper recovery. He listened absently, not really paying attention. He was watching Nanao as she lay sleeping in the bed. Her skin was extremely pale, her lips the same sickly shade, almost invisible on her face. Her hair lay fanned out beneath her on the small pillow, a sharp contrast to the stark white sheets and gown she wore. She looked so small and helpless.

He suddenly had the urge to bring her home. To keep her where he could keep an eye on her. Where no one could hurt her without first having to get through him. The fourth squad's headquarters were probably the most secure of the thirteen, but something nagged inside of him that it wasn't enough. It would never be enough if she wasn't under his protection directly.

Unohana was reluctant to let him take her back to the eighth squad headquarters, but she allowed it. She could see that there was more to his concern than that of a superior officers. Everyone had guessed that his acting like a child with a crush was more serious than teasing or passing flirtation. Now, she had the chance to see it fully. To witness the love behind the banter first hand.

She had a small team escort him back with all of the supplies he would need to see to her care. After the warning of the assassin, the alert had gone up. Now, everyone was on edge. No one knew if the friend they were drinking with was really the person they thought they were. Fights were breaking out all over Seireitei.

Shunsui's little corner of it was peaceful, simple. He kept very little in his private quarters. A large futon, small shelf of books and trinkets. A table and cabinet with a tea kettle and various boxes of tea. He laid Nanao on his futon, deciding that he would take the temporary bed Unohana had sent along. She hadn't woken yet, much to his frustration. Unohana had also told him that that would take time. When questioned further, she informed him that it could be anywhere from a few minutes, to a few days.

So, he waited.

When Nanao opened her eyes, she wasn't surprised in the slightest to find her Taichou sleeping. His hat was sitting on his lap, giving her a rare glimpse of his full face. She sat up gingerly and found that there was only a slight discomfort. A nice reprieve from the nearly insufferable pain she'd suffered not too long ago. "Taichou..." She said softly, her voice raspy and dry.

He didn't stir or respond right away. She swallowed hard and tried again. He opened one eye and looked down at her, then slowly opened the other. "You're awake, Nanao-chan." He said softly, pushing himself up from off the floor. He knelt down beside her on the futon and pushed her hair away from her cheek. "How are you feeling?" He asked her, the tenderness in his voice hard to miss.

"I hurt...everywhere. Mostly my leg." She sounded pathetic, even to her own ears.

He got up immediately and returned with a glass of water. He gently moved to slid one arm under her shoulders and lift her from the pillows. Sitting behind her, he rested her back against his chest and offered her the water. She sipped slowly as he recounted what had happened. His arm was wrapped gently around her stomach. He was so warm and smelled so good.

"Your leg will take some work, but you should be feeling better soon." He promised her, his voice low and gentle.

"Taichou," She said softly, sounding more like herself. "You were the one who attacked me."

At her words, she could feel him tense behind her, his arm tightening around her slightly. "Nanao-chan...I would never." He promised.

"I know." She had always known. He felt more for her than he let on. "It was the assassin. That was why I-" She stopped suddenly. "Why I didn't fulfill my duty and dispose of him." She finished, somewhat ashamed of herself.

"Sweet Nanao-chan. There is no way you could have possibly known that it wasn't the real, suave me." He reassured her, relaxing again. "You're alive when by all rights you shouldn't be." He pointed out. Leaning to the side slightly, he plucked something up from the pile of supplies that had been left with him by the fourth squad. Unfolding her glasses, he offered them. She slipped them onto her face and tilted her head back to look up at him. His stubbled chin was all she saw for a moment, then his dark eyes looking down at her.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Nanao-chan. I'm very ashamed that I have acted the way I have toward you. You deserve much better than the Taichou you were given."

"That's not true." She whispered. "You came for me, Taichou. There are many captains who would not do such a thing for their subordinates." She pointed out.

"They do not feel for their Vices the way I do." He returned.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he leaned his head back against the wall, breaking their eye contact. "Sleep now, my sweet Nanao. I will protect you from the horrors of the world."

Nanao wasn't completely sure he was being serious. It was sometimes hard to tell. Yet, he let her lay back against him, held her comfortably to ensure she would be safe and protected, as he promised. Closing her eyes, she let out a long sigh. She couldn't bring herself to say it. The proper side of her wouldn't allow her to admit that she had feelings for this man. It wouldn't be professional. She was sure that it would only break her heart. He would never stay with one woman, she saw that. She wasn't the one for him anymore than he was the one for her.

But still, she would do anything to hear him say something to the contrary.

Under the watchful eye of both her Taichou and Unohana Taichou, Nanao recovered quickly. Her leg was still stiff, but it didn't hinder her at all. She was able to continue going about her work despite the fact that her Taichou was constantly looking over her shoulder and insisting on babying her.

The man was driving her crazy and with that realization, all was right in the world. Things were back to normal. Several of her peers stopped by to check in on her, but never without being screened by the worried Shunsui. He would hang over her unless she yelled at him and physically blocked him. He'd insisted that she stay with him for a few more nights, but eventually she'd fought him and won on the issue of sleeping in her own bed.

He wouldn't let her go anywhere near the library. If she was going to do more research, she was going to do it in the safety of the eighth squad's headquarters. The daily life in Seireitei had calmed slightly. There had been no sign of the assassin, but everyone was still looking. Shunsui most of all.

Nanao would still wake with nightmares. The weight of the blankets too much for comfort. In her nightmares, the Shunsui she saw was the one who came to her home every morning. Not the assassin. It was tearing at her so that every day she looked more tired and restless. All of the progress she'd made in her recovery was being lost, little by little every night.

It was Ukitake who saw it first. Shunsui was so busy trying to keep her safe in her glass case that he didn't notice. He went to his friend who was busy at his desk, furiously trying to finish the pile of paperwork that had been left over the few days that Nanao had been recovering.

"Shunsui, may I have a word with you?" Ukitake asked, sitting down across from him at his desk.

"Of course." He paused in his writing and blew out a puff of air, making the lock of hair that fell to the side of his face shift to the side. "I don't know how the lovely Nanao-chan has done it all these years. I truly did take her for granted." He said to his friend with a grin. "And why she put up with it, I'll never know."

"I know." He said softly. His black eyes regarded his friend seriously, trying to impress the same state of maturity on his friend.

"We've all seen you dance around the subject. You drink at night and surround yourself with beautiful women because you know that the one woman you want you either can't have, or she won't take you. You think you're the first man to console himself in such a way with such a problem?"

"She's made it clear that she doesn't-"

"And here I've always defended you against the people who claimed you were as stupid as you look." Ukitake said with a slight sparkle in his eye.

"Hey now.." Shunsui warned.

"She hasn't made it clear that she doesn't want you, she's made it clear that she can't be the one to make the first move. You, on the other end have never even tried to push past her weak excuses. You've just given in and sulked like a two year old. Do you have any idea how many centuries she's been waiting for you to just go ahead and make the first move?"

"What if you're wrong? That would make things very awkward."

"But what if I'm right? What if I'm right and you never try it. You could live your entire lives skirting around each other and being miserable."

Shunsui leaned back in his chair and pulled his hat down a bit, covering his eyes as he pondered his friends words. He let out along sigh and scratched his chest.

"The assassin attacked her in my body." He informed him. He hadn't told anyone yet about what Nanao had recounted. How horrifying it must have been to be attacked by someone you trusted, if not loved.

"All the more reason to reaffirm that -you- would never hurt her."

"I wouldn't." He said quickly.

"You'd best make sure that she understands that, Shunsui. I'm guessing by the way she acts when she picks you up in bars, a woman on each arm, that she has no idea. And as I said, I don't think she can make the first move. She can't admit it first. She's been trained to be the proper Vice that she is. It's up to you to show her what's allowed and what isn't."

Ukitake rose slowly from the chair. Despite his sickly appearance, he always moved with grace. He left Shunsui to his own thoughts, of which there were many.

"Ah, Miss Ise. How wonderful to see you. How are you feeling?" Unohana asked the small woman as she entered her office. "I hope that you Taichou is still taking good care of you?"

"No, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me where he is." She asked, her voice flat as she regarded the female Taichou.

"Last I heard he was in his office, actually completing paperwork for once." She said, smiling sweetly. "Is there something you needed? Hopefully your leg isn't bothering you."

"No, I feel fine." Nanao insisted. "I feel wonderful." She said, stepping close to the woman's desk. Then, she reached into her sleeve.

Had Unohana not been so fast herself, she might have actually been struck by the Vice's first blow. Her own blade was out in an instant, defending herself as Nanao rained blow after blow on her. With a sharp, yet amazingly calm, cry for help, the room was flooded with her squad members. Though they were not know for the greatest fighting skills, a room full of them would be plenty match for one person.

The assassin made a short jump over Unohana and slashed her way through the thin paper door that led to her balcony. By the time the fourth squad gave chase, the assassin had already disappeared. Whoever it was, they were fast. But then, everyone had already been warned that this person had given the God of Flash a run for her money.

Of course a perimeter had been set up, but regular shinigami who passed, going about their daily business could only be delayed for so long. Unless they could catch this assassin in the act, they had no way of knowing.

With all of the captains warned that another attack had been made, tensions rose in Seireitei once more. Shunsui most of all. He made it to Nanao's home in record time. Knocking on the door, he waited rather impatiently, tilting his hat up a bit.

The moment she slid open the door, he swept her up in his arms. She gasped softly and began to hit his chest. "What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Someone will see us!" She growled, her voice low to avoid attracting any more attention.

He showered her face with kisses, wet and sloppy and loud. He slid the door closed with his foot and set her down. "You just attacked Unohana Taichou!" He exclaimed.

Her eyes widened and she took a quick step back. "I did?" She whispered, paling visibly. "Oh no...that's horrible." She looked up at him pleadingly. "You have to tell them. It wasn't me!" She said quickly, a hand moving to cover her lips. She was fretting terribly.

"Don't worry, dear Nanao-chan. They don't blame you. I was simply worried that you had been attacked. But you seem to be fine. For the second time in a week I thought I'd lost you."

She relaxed slightly, even managing to roll her eyes. "I thought you were here to take me in. I can't imagine why you'd be worried, I'm just-"

He was quite suddenly standing in front of her. She was staring at his hairy chest for a moment. Her purple eyes rose to look up at him, staring down at her with the most serious look she'd ever witnessed.

"Just the most amazing woman I've ever had the pleasure of working with. One that I would rather not let go of in the near future."

"Oh.." She whispered, finding that her breath was catching in her throat. Probably because her heart was pounding so fast.

"Ukitake said that there was something I should tell you." He took another step closer to her.

"And what was that?" She asked quietly. He was so close she could feel the warmth from his body seep into hers. She could smell him, the scent that lingered in the office after he'd left, the one that clung to her after she'd dragged him back from a bar. That musky male scent that could make a woman weak. It was what made her strong, resisting the call it had, pretending it didn't affect her.

"That I lo-" He paused and smiled slightly. "First, I think I should apologize."

Oh how she wanted to hit him! She'd thought he was going to say it.

"I'm sorry for how I've acted. I've always flitted from one woman to another. It was in my nature for a very long time. Until you came into the picture, my dear Nanao-chan. And then, you distanced yourself from me. I was too stupid to see that it wasn't because you didn't want me. It was because you didn't think it was proper. Or, perhaps because you didn't think I would ever settle down with one woman. Maybe even a mix of both. Because of that, I never told you."

She jumped slightly at the light touch of his fingers on her cheek. It slid back and off of her skin. She felt the clip in her hair loosen, then slid out, her hair falling down her back. His fingers burrowed into the soft, black strands as he looked down at her.

"I never told you that I loved you." His rough voice speaking those words would never sound more beautiful from anyone else's lips. "And if you truly feel for me the way you portray your feelings to the outside world, then I will walk away and never speak of this again." He promised. "If you do not look at me as the bane of your existence, then I'll kiss you. I'll never leave you wanting for company or comfort ever again."

"I've hidden it because I didn't want to get my heart broken." She whispered hesitantly, looking up at him. "You're so....so...."

"Childish?" He finished.

She nodded slowly. Her heart fairly stopped as his head lowered toward hers. "I will try to work on that, my lovely, beautiful, Nanao-chan." The rumble in his deep voice sent her body shivering. The hand in her hair drew her head back to expose her lips to his kiss. The stubble on his chin tickled her skin. He deepened the kiss, tilting his head slightly when she didn't pull away or slap him. This was good. More than that.

So that he wouldn't have to crane his neck to meet her, his free arm slid around her waist and hauled her up against him. She didn't even seem to notice the difference. Pulling away, he brushed his rough cheek against her smooth skin as he moved his lips to her ear.

"Do you want me to go?"

"If people knew..." She worried, sliding her arms around his neck to hold herself up.

"They won't. Someday you will be ready for people to know that you love me. Until then, I will wait for you. I respect you far to much to do otherwise. You are the woman of my dreams, Nanao-chan. You are worth the wait, and then some." He assured her.

"Then kiss me, so that I know you'll keep your promise."

And so, he did.

Nanao looked down at the man sleeping on her floor and contemplated leaving him alone. He had been so sweet last night. He'd romanced her throughout the late night of the hours and held her while she fell asleep. She'd woken to find him sleeping on the floor beside her futon. She hadn't given him permission, expressly, to sleep on the futon with her, so he'd decided it would be better to be uncomfortable for a night than to have to face her wrath in the morning. Perhaps even lose her.

She pushed his shoulder with her foot. She'd already bathed, dressed and prepared for the day of work ahead. He opened one lazy eye and looked up at her from beneath the brim of his hat. "Ah...my sweetest Nanao-chan." He rumbled, still groggy from sleep. "The most beautiful sight to wake up in the morning."

"You're so lazy. Wake up. We have a lot of work to do today." She chastised softly.

"We always have a lot of work today."

"Because our squad's Taichou is a lazy drunk." She pointed out and started to walk away.

"My wonderful Nanao-chan, sweet as ever." He grinned as he sat up, adjusting the hat on his head. He was glad to have woken up to that. It told him that she must have always loved him. She'd gotten used to treating him that way for a reason, to hide her feelings. It wouldn't be easy to break that habit. But then, he wouldn't want to. This was the Nanao he'd fallen in love with.

The sweet, affectionate woman he'd spent the night with was a wonderful bonus. He loved the fact that she could relax around him. At least, when they were alone. That would be enough. Standing, he straightened his haoris and followed her out.

For the first time since in a long while, he did paper work while she was there and capable. Of course, she had to hit him every once in a while. He would make some rude comment, or slack off on his paperwork, usually because he was trying to get a quick nap in.

Otherwise, things were returning to normal. It was a wonderful relief to Nanao. Her world had been turned up side down in every aspect since the destruction of the library. She was beginning to get her focus back and was even working on rewriting the reports she'd made on her research. If they were ever going to find them, it would take months. It was sad too, it was some of her best work.

Not all of what she'd found had been in relation to the assassin. That had been a rather fruitless search. She'd found a great deal on the arrancar and theoretical research on their creation. Since they didn't know much about the enemy they would be facing, even theoretical research would help to prepare them.

Since she was working only on rewriting reports, rather than gathering for them, it went considerably faster the second time around. With a satisfied sigh, she closed the folder. The original copies would be sent to Yamamoto for review. If he saw fit, it would be distributed to all the squads. Wouldn't that piss of Mayuri. She would love to rub that in his smug, ugly face. He wasn't the only one who could put out useful information, she would-

"Nanao-chan, what ever are you thinking about?"

Her eyes widened slightly and she blushed as she slowly raised her gaze. Her desk was in the corner of the room, where he could easily keep an eye on her from his own desk. What should she say? Would she admit to the fact that she was thinking about how satisfying it would be to rub something in Mayuri-Taichou's arrogant face? Among other things. That man could certainly use a lesson in humility.

"Oh...nothing." She said quickly, raising a hand. "I'm just glad to have those reports written up again. It was bothering me that I had lost them."

"You didn't lose them, Nanao-chan. They are buried under an entire floor of library." He pointed out. "As were you. I still think you should be laying down, resting."

"I'm not made of glass, Taichou." She said defensively. "I'm a fukutaichou of the thirteen court guard squads, I should act like one. Next time, I won't hesitate to kick your ass." Her tone was flat, as if she were talking about baking cookies.

His laugh was deep and it made her heart melt. "As well I would expect should I ever attempt to harm you." His boyish grin made her smile as well. "Though, make sure it's an attack with harmful intent." He added.

"Is there any other kind?" She asked skeptically.

Lazily, he rose from the desk chair. "Oh, there certainly is...would you like for me to show you?" His tone was light and joking, knowing her response automatically. It was simply part of their banter.

"I think I would."

Shunsui looked at her and blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said...I think you should. That way I'll know the difference."

"My dear Nanao-chan. You surprise me."

"Well...someone has to keep you on your toes." She said with a playful defiance. She pushed her glasses up on her face and raised her chin slightly. "I'm the only one who seems to be up to the monumental task of keeping you in line."

The only response to that was the deep rumble of his laugh.

New protocols were put into place the next day. Everything was in chaos. With all of the meetings and people getting used to the new rules it was amazing anything got done that day. Shunsui was so proud of his Nanao-chan. The way she kept her head down and finished all of her work, just like any other day. When all of the other squads were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, she was diligent and steady. The Taichou of a squad should always be the anchor in a storm, but for the eighth squad, Ise Nanao was that rock.

Every member of every squad was required to check in with their Taichou every morning. They would be carefully screened and then paired up with another member. They were to stay with each other all day. Bunk mates were assigned to keep night time attempts to a minimum. If they had no way of tracking the assassin, they would at least make sure his job was as hard as possible. Slowing him down was the only chance they had at catching him, making him slip up.

The next week was hard on all of the top seats of the squads. Yet more responsibility was thrust onto them. Each and every one, however, showed that they were worthy of their position. Even those squads that were still without Taichou's did amazingly well. It seemed that they would all be the stronger for their loss. They had to be.

Nanao-chan continued to take it like a champ, working extra hours to keep up. He stayed as well, actually helped her during the day. He could see that it was wearing on her and rather than do his usual irresponsible thing and nap, he lended a hand. That short period of time where she was completely incapacitated had been the worst days of his life and he wouldn't allow all of this work to do that to her again.

His Nanao-chan was far too important, both in the office and out, for him to allow such a thing.

Shunsui leaned against the side of the building with his legs stretched out lazily in front of him. Lovely Nanao-chan lay between them, her slim back rested against his broad chest. His arms were draped lightly around her stomach, being sure not to hold her sleeping form too tight. She'd actually come to his place that night, a surprise to him as she usually liked to remain somewhat in control by forcing him to her home if he wanted to see her in private.

More than that, it had been raining. That was why she'd come over. She was still dressed in her uniform, but her hair had been let down, a sure sign that she was relaxed around him. She'd wanted to watch the rain, she said, blushing furiously. He still tried to convince her that there was no need to be embarrassed about their private relationship, but to no avail. They'd sat out on the deck, wrapping her in his warmth as the rain fell over the city. The soft pattering on the roof above them had apparently been enough to lull her to sleep.

It was nice to have a private balcony, he considered to himself. She'd done all of the hard work sneaking over undetected, it would have been a shame for a neighbor to pop out and see them. Especially when he was making such progress with her.

The high rise of his chest at his yawn woke her, her purple eyes fluttering open. After a moment, she closed them again and shifted slightly to her side, curling up against him with her legs bent over one of his, her hand against his chest acting as a pillow. With a smile, the large man slid his arms around her and held her close. Progress indeed.

He let her sleep for a little while longer before waking her by gently brushing his fingers down her cheek. When she came fully awake, she realized that she'd fallen asleep against him. "I'm sorry, Taichou." She said quickly, sitting up and away from him. He chuckled and pulled her back against him, noting her surprised squeak with a hint of satisfaction. Still his same Nanao-chan.

"Don't be sorry. I rather enjoy it. Any man who would complain about having such a beautiful, tiny woman sleep against them is either insane, or Mayuri." He chuckled to himself.

"Taichou." She said softly, a gentle reprimand.

"Are you upset about the compliment, or the insult?"

"Both."

"Ah, but of course." He kissed the top of her head. "Will you be staying the night? Shall I get out the spare futon?"

"I've been thinking about that." She said quietly. She was teasing the hem of his haori, which only served to tease him.

"What about it? Is it not comfortable?"

"No, it's fine. But…we're doing all of this work to see each other in secret. Why do we sleep on separate beds?"

"Because you said that was how you wanted it?" He asked, somewhat confused. As if she was trying to trap him.

"I've changed my mind." She said simply. "That is, of course, with your permission." She looked up at him, her head resting back in the crook of his arm. "May I sleep with you in your bed, Taichou?"

He groaned and let his head rest back against the wall. "Nanao-chan. You make me feel so old and dirty."

She sat up abruptly.

"Oh, stop that." He ordered, pulling her back once more. "You just remind me of a little kid who's had a nightmare. I've told you before. When you're here with me, in a non-business capacity, my home is your home. You can sleep wherever you'd like. Besides, do you think I would say no to a question I've been hoping to hear slip from your lips for decades? My silly, silly Nanao-chan." He grinned, fingers gently hooking under her chin to raise it gently, his head moving down to capture her lips.

Nanao closed her eyes to accept the gesture, returning it with her own. Oh, how the man could kiss. But then, he'd practiced on enough women, she was sure. She melted into him, letting herself relax and enjoy the moment, pushing that particular thought from her mind.

She gave him a rare gift when he pulled away from her, a smile. She was pleased to see the happy look on his face when he saw it, making her smile all the more. "How about I make a nice hot pot of tea to relax us before bed?" He asked, gently standing and helping her to her feet. With a nod, she adjusted the kimono around herself. She'd had to borrow one of his while her own dried.

"I'll go check on my clothes." She said, disappearing into his home. He went to make the pot of tea, shuffling around the kitchen. He had to search for two clean cups, eventually finding a dirty one under his discarded hat and quickly washing it. He was just drying it off when he heard an impatient knock at his door. He recognized the silhouette that spilled through the window. The hair gave it away.

"Why Nanao-chan. What brings you here at this time of night? I thought for sure you'd be home sleeping." He said with a pleasant smile. All the while, he hoped the real Nanao-chan wouldn't come waltzing in, ruining his upper hand.

"Taichou, I think someone is following me. I haven't been able to shake the feeling and when I got home, I swear I heard someone in my house. Please, we have to let everyone know. The assassin is there…I know it."

He had to give whoever it was credit. Attempting to get him to draw everyone to a specific point while he would be alone, ripe for the taking. He laid a hand on "her" shoulder and led her in. "Of course. Nanao-chan, you must be terrified. Here, sit down. I was just about to make some tea."

He walked over to the door of the kitchen, where his zanpakuto rested against the wall. He drew it slowly and turned to face the assassin. "But I'm afraid you won't be staying for tea." He said merrily.

Sitting up abruptly, the fake Nanao glared at him, jaw clenched tight. "How did you know?" She bit out, advancing on him with deadly intent in her eyes.

"Taichou!" Nanao's startled cry quickly reminded him of his guest. The second Nanao turned on her with a glint in her eyes. It had all snapped into place so suddenly. How he'd realized from the start that she was an impostor, and how she would get to him.

"Nanao, run!" He roared, making a wide sweep at the assassin, making her jump back, away from the real Nanao.

"Taichou, I can't." She argued, taking a battle stance, preparing for a spell.

"It's an order, Ise. Go sound the alarm." He bellowed, having to keep all of his focus on heading off the assassin's shunpo. He needed her gone so that he could fight without distraction or worry.

Each hit felt like a blow from Kenpachi, each move as fast as Yoruichi. It was all he could do to defend himself. Getting the upperhand would be very hard. Finally, after a moment's hesitation, Nanao slipped out the back.

Now, the assassin was in trouble. With a kick to the gut, Shunsui was given time to release his zanpakuto. Duel wielding was his specialty and it was how he would defeat this assassin, assuming the coward didn't run away again.

This time he attacked first. Both blades came from different fronts. She blocked one, but not the other. The blade hit hard against her shoulder, making her cry out in pain. He blocked out the sound, blocked out how much it sounded like his dear Nanao-chan. She was safe, getting reinforcements. He wasn't hurting her. She was safe.

Using the opening the assassin created by trying to pull away from the embedded blade rather than attack, he struck a second blow, the hilt of the katana snapping a rib. The assassin fell to her knees, making a short sweep of her own blade. Had his shunpo not been available, he might have lost the use of his leg for the remainder of the battle. His retreat gave her a second to recover.

Pulling something from inside her uniform, she backed toward the door. "I bet Nanao-chan is heading for headquarters as we speak. I should probably go head that alarm off." She grinned popping something into her mouth. In an instant, she was gone. Whatever made her invisible didn't make her incorporeal. She still had to open doors, still left foot prints in the dirt.

Jumping down from the second floor, a cloud of dust rose up where she hit. He'd started to follow her, but stopped at the railing. Nanao was already in the courtyard. Her eyes were closed and she was concentrating on something. She spoke, but over the rain and distance, he couldn't understand it. There was a bright flash of light and the assassin fell to the ground, visible and writhing in pain.

"Taichou! NOW!" She yelled, still focusing on keeping up whatever Kido spell she'd set off.

Jumping down from the balcony, his blades pinned her to the dirt. One through her left shoulder, the other her right thigh. Crying out in pain, the assassin let go of her disguise. "Her" true form was male. At least, they could only assume it was the assassin's true form. He glared up at them through his pain. Nanao moved to stand beside her Taichou, looking up at him briefly.

"Did you think we were going to let you run away again?" He asked the pinned man. "You've made it clear that you do quick hits and then run, we just had to ensure that you weren't allowed to do that this time. Divide and conquer, create chaos. I have to say, you did a great job." He said, his voice flat, showing very little emotion other than his hint of hate.

Turning away from him, he put his hands on Nanao's shoulders. "I told you to leave." He said quietly. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I saw you down there?" His voice was a low whisper, making it more rough.

"Taichou, I couldn't just run away. Like I said, I'm a fukutaichou. I have a job to do and it's to protect you. Last time you had to carry me away from a battle. I won't allow that to happen again." She said quietly, her voice stern. She wasn't going to back down from this one. "Aside from that…I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you while I was running away." She added, looking behind him at the struggling assassin. People were starting to show up now, Toushiro-Taichou at the head of the group. He was his usual calm self as he looked at the caught assassin.

"Kyoraku-Taichou. It seems you did what the rest of us could not." He commented.

"I was just lucky enough to have the right circumstances, and the right company." He said, waving it off with a smile. "Besides, he woke me from a nap and that is reason enough to kill a man." He was awfully cheerful.

The tiny Taichou nodded to his men. Shunsui removed the blades and allowed the tenth squad to take custody. The rain made it easy to clean the blades, returning the katana to its resting state and sliding it into his sash. "Make sure Mayuri gets his turn. I'm pretty sure that he's been into his research facilities. He took at least one handy trick with him."

Toushiro nodded gravely. "Mayuri was attacked this morning. He's still fuming and knocking around his subordinates over the matter." He informed him.

"It'll do him some good. Learn a little humility." He glanced at Nanao who was standing behind and slightly to the side of him. Where she always was. His rock.

"Ise Fukutaichou," The tenth squad captain began. "How did you know how to negate the effects of the invisibility pill?"

"When I heard about the attack on the twelfth squad's research head quarters, I studied up on what was taken. I learned that this particular gadget was rather hard for them to figure out. They eventually learned how to undo it's effects using that kido spell, but that it caused the ingester so much pain, the project was wiped. I saw him disappear from Taichou's door and started the spell immediately, hoping he would try and escape through the courtyard. As my Taichou said, we were lucky."

"Well, you can get back to your nap." Toushiro said with a nod. "We'll take care of him."

"Thank you." Shunsui said with a happy grin, nodding in return.

Once everyone had left the courtyard, Shunsui escorted Nanao back to his home. Immediately after closing the door, he turned on her. His hands nearly encompassed her tiny waist as he dragged her to him and kissed her hard, with need. She was caught up in the intensity of it. Gripping the front of his soaked kimono, she kissed him back.

It was several moments before her broke the kiss, keeping his lips mere inches from hers. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. I gave you an order, Nanao-chan." He pointed out gruffly.

"I'm sorry, Taichou. I've already told you how I feel. I'm sticking to it." Her own voice was breathless.

Shaking his head, he relaxed his grip on her waist. "My beautiful, silly, loyal Nanao-chan." He murmured before kissing her again. "How about that tea?"

"I think we should dry off first. We're both soaking wet and we'll catch cold if we aren't careful."

Picking her up and holding her tight against him, he nuzzled her ear with his stubbled chin. "Don't worry, Nanao-chan, I'll keep you warm."

Nanao was up late that night, laying in bed. The events of the evening, of the last couple of weeks rather, were keeping her awake, filling her mind. Shunsui lay on his stomach, snoring softly. She laid partially over him, her head resting on his shoulder, feeling the rise and fall of his slow breathing. She still couldn't believe she was there.

She'd been so torn for so long, between what she wanted and what she felt was proper and professional. But now that he'd tipped the scales, started the chain reaction, she couldn't imagine life being any other way. Yet, there would still be more to come.

In the morning she would have to wake, unusually early, to return to her home and get ready for work. After that, she would have to spend her day, as usual, pretending they were nothing more than commander and subordinate. Then, perhaps if one was able, they would meet in secret once more.

It was her hope that one day they would be able to drop that charade. When she was comfortable letting the world know. For now, it still felt like she might be doing something wrong. Her Taichou didn't feel that way, but he was understanding enough to leave it up to her. He was content to have her, he'd said, in public or in private.

She'd learned quickly that if he was content, he would find a way to make her so as well. He'd shown her she could relax, get comfortable. Be herself. She couldn't have asked for more. Her life of proper behavior and stiff living had been wearing on her and it had taken the events of the last week for her to even realize it.

Yes, eventually they would be completely comfortable with the world and their place in it. For now, she would lay comfortably next to him and sleep soundly, knowing that he would be there when she woke in the morning, and every morning after that. He'd come for her when she needed him most and she knew now, that he always would.

A guardian by her side.


End file.
